Spacesail Constellation completes successful test

The Spacesail Constellation, a massive internet network planned by State-owned satellite conglomerate Spacesail, has undergone its first application test, according to the Shanghai-based company.

The test took place on Wednesday onboard Piano Land, a cruise ship operated by Astro Ocean Cruise. It was conducted as the ship sailed near the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

During the test, a set of receiving terminals from China Mobile Hong Kong that were placed on the vessel's deck were linked with Spacesail satellites. The terminals downloaded data transmitted from the orbiting network, Spacesail said in a news release on Thursday.

The test was successful, proving that the Spacesail Constellation is able to provide access to broadband internet to all types of ships. It also demonstrated the commercial value of the domestic low-orbit internet network, the company noted.

Previously known as the G60 network, the Spacesail Constellation can provide high-speed, secure and reliable broadband internet services to users around the world. It is designed to consist of more than 10,000 satellites traveling in low-altitude orbits before the end of 2030, according to Spacesail.

The first 18 satellites in the network were launched in August. The second group, also consisting of 18 satellites, was deployed in October. The third batch, with the same number of satellites, was hauled into space in December. All of them were carried by the Long March 6A model from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province.

So far, the first 18 satellites have completed their orbital ascent, reaching their preset positions, Spacesail said.

According to the project plan, a total of 648 satellites will be deployed in orbit before the end of 2025 to form the first version of the Spacesail Constellation, which has been called by some observers as China's answer to SpaceX's Starlink system.

According to Yang Yuguang, a senior space industry observer in Beijing and chair of the International Astronautical Federation's Space Transportation Committee, compared with satellites traveling in high-altitude orbits, low-orbiting satellites can respond to users faster and can cover more places, especially those in high-latitude regions, so they are better suited for space-based internet networks.